Tuesday, February 07, 2006

A Year Without Love

Talking about e-mail lists from Argentina, about a year ago I found myself in the middle of a discussion about the veracity and realism of "Un Año Sin Amor," a film from Argentina based on Pablo Perez' published diaries of the same name. What was bizarre was that the discussion included several men who were the real life counterparts to those mentioned in the diary and the movie, including "The Sheriff." The consensus was that the film necessarily used some dramatic liberties and that leather life in Buenos Aires in the late 1990's was not as extensive as the film shows, but that the film got other things right.

The diary - and film - tells of the twelve months that follow Pablo's HIV positive diagnosis, his prolonged depression, his escape into anonymous sex and his rebirth - of sorts - when he is adopted by an extended family of gay men who practice sado-masochism in the underground clubs of Buenos Aires.

Dubbed "A Year Without Love," the film opens in New York this Friday and is already getting some good reviews States-side. I have yet to see it but it will be interesting to see that side of Argentina gay culture represented on screen.